Takaba Akihito and the Ice Bucket Challenge
by J Unleashed
Summary: It's a cold day in hell... (Takaba participates in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.)


_This is a little fluff piece that was written for a timed writing challenge [75 minutes, theme: cold]. I crossed the finish line, huffing and wheezing, at 73 minutes. It is a one-shot and despite the similarities to the title of another ongoing story, it is not related. Re-edited to make readable :P_

_All characters from the Viewfinder Series are the property of Yamane Ayano or that of her publishers/subsidiaries. No profit is made from this fanfiction._

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When Takaba came into work, he saw his editor and Mitarai watching a video on Mitarai's camera. After a few seconds, they both began laughing.

"Wait…" Mitarai said, "The next one is funnier."

Takaba ignored them and headed to the coffee pot to pour himself a well-needed shot of caffeine. Asami had been vigorously amorous the night before which meant Takaba hadn't managed to get much sleep so he was tired and grumpy and sore- but considering the reason, he really couldn't justify complaining too much.

This time the Editor roared out laughing. Mitarai looked pleased. "Yes? Yes? You like that one too?"

"Fantastic…!"

"Wait… there's one more. This one's the best of them all…"

Takaba leaned up against the wall and sipped on his coffee while watching the Editor and Mitarai from a distance. This time they both sported rather lecherous expressions on their faces.

"Ah, not bad! Not bad at all!"

"Well…?" Mitarai waited in anticipation.

"Yeah, I'll pay you for these," the Editor said grinning. "I'll put them up on our web site. That ought to bring in a lot of traffic."

When Takaba heard how much his editor was going to pay Mitarai for the three videos, he almost spit out his coffee.

Takaba caught up to Mitarai outside as he was rushing out for an assignment. "Hey… what was that all about? How is it you managed to get a whole month's pay with three 15-second videos? What were they about?"

"Oh, those were for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge," Mitarai told him. "Surely you've heard about that."

"Yes, and that's like yesterday's news," Takaba replied. "It's been done and overdone."

"If it can still net me some money, who cares if it's yesterday's news?"

"So what's so special about YOUR videos?" Takaba asked, still following Mitarai. "The ice bucket challenge has already been videotaped by all the well-known politicians and the biggest celebrities."

Mitarai stopped walking and pulled out his camera. "Watch…"

Takaba watched as a very unpopular Diet member came out of a building. A bunch of teenagers sneaked up behind him with a large bucket and dumped ice water all over him. The Diet member was enraged and yelled all kinds of foul things at the teens.

"That's not funny," Takaba said. "He's really angry about it."

"NO! It's funny because he's a total asshole… HA HA HA! People want to see stuff like that! That's how I sold the first one."

The second one had an old lady in it, sitting on a bench at a park. She looked to be about a hundred years old. Again the teens crept up from behind and dumped the contents of the bucket over her head. The look on her face was that of utter shock and she made terrible gasping noises afterwards.

"Are you nuts?!" Takaba looked at Mitarai alarmingly. "You could have given that poor old lady a heart attack!"

Mitarai laughed. "Oh, she's fine. But did you hear that bizarre gasping noise she made?"

"I've seen enough." Takaba turned to leave but Mitarai grabbed him.

"Wait... you HAVE to see this last one!" He played the last video and this time it was a young and pretty college student. The teens crept up behind her and dumped the bucket. She screamed and then her stylish clothing turned into something nearly transparent. There was little left to the imagination.

"You guys can't put that on the web site! That would be considered illegal!"

"Nah, we're going to pixelate it. It'll be fine."

"This is supposed to be for a charity. How does this benefit them?!"

"I dunno… I guess they'll add a 'donate' button under the videos for visitors to click on."

Takaba shook his head. "This is sick, and I want NO PART OF IT!"

"You're just jealous because you can't come up with anything funnier," Mitarai looked at him challengingly, "or can you…?"

The wheels in Takaba's head began to spin.

**. . . . . **

Takaba rushed home with his package. He very carefully opened the front door so not to wake Asami. He removed his shoes and arranged them so they were pointing towards the door. He quietly put the package down and tiptoed to Asami's room. When he peeked in, he could see Asami was still asleep.

_Good..._

Takaba went out to the terrace with one of his cameras. He set the timer on it to start recording at exactly 12:15 pm and hid the camera in a potted plant that was on the terrace.

Next, he pulled out the contents of the package he had brought home. He went back into Asami's room with it and woke Asami up.

Asami sleepily but enthusiastically grabbed Takaba and tried to pull him onto the bed.

Takaba had to fight him off. "Before you start something, you might want to hear what I have to say."

"Then hurry up and say it, so we can get started," Asami leered drowsily at Takaba.

"Look what I bought you." He handed a folded garment to Asami.

Asami stared at it somewhat confused. "A yukata?"

Takaba smiled seductively, "Do you remember last summer when you set up those special fireworks for me? And what we did while they were going off? I haven't been able to get that out of my mind. I want to experience that one more time."

"Well then... why don't you slip into your yukata and I'll be happy to show you some fireworks," Asami smirked.

"Oh, but I want to do it… out there again," Takaba said pointing toward the terrace. "Why don't you shower first and then put this on and go sit in the lounge chair out there. I'll make us a small lunch and then meet you outside."

"If that's the way you want to do it." Asami got up and headed toward the shower.

Once Takaba heard the shower start, he quickly went to one of the closets and pulled out a bucket. Then he dumped all the ice from the ice cube trays into it. He added just enough cold water to cover all the ice and then he hid the bucket in one of the cupboards.

After a while, he heard Asami opening the sliding glass door that led out to the terrace. He looked at his watch. It was 12:13. He waited until his watch showed 12:15 and then he very quietly removed the bucket from the cupboard and began walking, more stealthily than he ever had in his entire life, toward the terrace…

**. . . . .**

At approximately 12:17 pm, Asami Ryuichi, in a dripping wet yukata, was successful at locating his cell phone which had been hidden under the pillows in the couch. As he bent down to pick it up, a few ice cubes fell from his shoulders. He tapped the first name on the contacts list.

"Kirishima… Takaba is about to come running past you at any second. At all costs… DO NOT LET HIM ESCAPE!"

**. . . . . **

Takaba was practically flying down the stairs that led to the underground parking garage. When he emerged, he was suddenly grabbed by the collar.

"Gotcha!" Kirishima smirked.

"No, you have to let me go!" Takaba pleaded in a panic. "Please! I actually got away with playing a practical joke on Asami, and I'd at least like to live for the next 24 hours so I have a chance to laugh about it!"

"What did you DO to Asami-sama?!" Kirishima growled.

"Ice bucket challenge… I dumped a bucket of ice on him. It was hysterical! And I videotaped it too! I'll email you a copy if you let me live… err… I mean, let me go…"

Kirishima suddenly let go of Takaba and grabbed his knee, seemingly in pain. "Ugh! I can't believe you kicked me so hard in the knee that I'll be unable to chase you down and catch you…"

Takaba looked startled, and then grinned. "Thanks, Kirishima!"

Kirishima winked back.

**. . . . .**

Kirishima Kei sat at his desk looking through a brochure a salesman had left behind on the latest in office equipment. He looked up and smiled at the very nice potted plant that had just been delivered to him, along with a note from Takaba thanking him for letting him escape the other day.

Looking closer at the plant, he noticed something odd peeking out from behind the leaves.

_Is that… a camera?_

Kirishima heard a strange noise coming from behind him. It sounded like...

Like somebody gently shaking a bucket full of water and ice.

He looked up at his computer that he hadn't turned on just yet. In the reflection of the dark screen he could see someone standing behind him.

It was Asami, with evilest smile he had ever seen… holding a bucket over Kirishima's head.

**. . . . .  
>. . <strong>


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